


For Them

by TheBirbiest



Category: RWBY
Genre: And Tai has to piece him back together, And what even is a lover if they don't know how to put your guts back together, From Angst to Fluff, M/M, Qrow almost dies, TW: Blood, Watch the two dad's bond over Qrow being an idiot, by which I mean, tw: angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 06:27:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21931435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBirbiest/pseuds/TheBirbiest
Summary: Don’t do this to them again.A sob rolls over bloodied lips, but for a moment, his thoughts are cleared. For now…the shock melts into a calm. It provides a window of thought that gives him a brief flash of focus.There was a village not far from here. The Grimm in this area had been dispatched. He could make it…he’d just have to take it slow.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Taiyang Xiao Long
Comments: 6
Kudos: 84





	For Them

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays to a very, very special friend of mine~! I know TaiQrow makes you super hella soft, and you've been eager to see me complete this piece, so-- here you go!! Thank you so much for always supporting and encouraging me! May your holiday season be merry and bright~!

**He fell.**

He fell…and the air rushed from his lungs; taking his sanity with it.

Trembling lips parted to allow strangled gasps free. Heavy eyes sank their gaze into the thick forestry beside him. His hands hovered just inches above his chest; shaking with an uncontrollable adrenaline rush.

Everything ached and screamed all at once, his mind racing with hazy thoughts. Dull senses. Slow reactions.

_Shock._

He turned his head, body spasming from the action. Every ligament vibrating. Pain bubbling in his torso. Fear and anxiety flaring in his throat, bringing forth bile and blood.

_You’re going into shock._

Crimson orbs find it. Black spots eat at his vision - hoping to conceal it.

 _But it’s too late._ His body reacts instantaneously - eyes bulging, lungs constricting with panic, the blood too warm against his skin.

The damaged nerves and tissues and muscles tense around the intruding branch; squeezing pain from his very soul and ripping screams from the pit of his stomach. He throws his head back, hands flexing in an effort to stop the instant thought of ripping it from his body.

_Think about Oz._

The man digs his heel into the damp ground, clamping his teeth on another scream - the sound vibrating against the back of his teeth. His body pulsed with pain, his eyes twisting closed as he forced himself to focus.

_Think about Ruby._

A gasp slipped free - the pain sinking into his every thought, dragging a solemn moan from him.

_Think about Yang._

He sets a hand against the wound, a hiss twisting from him and another, panicked thought bursting to the forefront of his mind.

_Think about **Tai.**_

His opposite hand digs a fist into the wet earth, hoping to ground himself. Quell the screams of pain. The panic in his veins.

**_Don’t do this to them again._ **

A sob rolls over bloodied lips, but for a moment, his thoughts are cleared. For now…the shock melts into a calm. It provides a window of thought that gives him a brief flash of focus.

Patch wasn't far from here. The Grimm in this area had been dispatched. He could make it…he’d just have to take it slow.

Taking a moment to prepare himself, to brush aside the fear hanging over the acknowledgement that this was the only way, he settled on the _facts._ He _needed_ to do this. He needed to **try.**

_For them._

Swallowing hard, the man took one, final, deep breath. Crimson orbs steeled themselves as the tears on his cheeks burned even hotter than before.

With one, swift movement, he was on his side; screaming uncontrollably, _breathlessly_ against the pain that roared maliciously from the action. All of the nerves at his side were suddenly hyper-aware of the tree branch running him through. Every breath dragged it against his innards; panic at _what wasn’t supposed to be there_ bleeding into his sanity.

**Focus!**

Another deep breath, the man grounding himself with a quick fist dropped into the mud. He panted heavily, sweat dripping off his chin as his body adjusted itself to one command - **survive.**

One more pause. A brief moment to battle the fears.

_Movement._

**Quick.** No time to feel, to panic, to question what was or wasn’t real.

He was on his feet now, struggling to stay standing. A hand wrapped itself around the branch; close enough to feel the heat spilling from his exposed innards.

A sudden flash of white consumes his vision.

_Shock._

He bites his lip hard enough to draw blood, a soft sigh leaking between clenched teeth. Red eyes flick to the path needed to walk. To the only direction worth moving in.

_For them._

Heavy legs pull him forward. Slowly. Desperately. Painfully.

He’s sure he can’t possibly lose anymore blood by the time he reaches the village. He’s positive the pain can’t possibly get any worse.

He’s reassured by the panicked voice of someone nearby. Someone familiar. 

Hands are suddenly on him, trembling and _hot_ against his body. He groans aloud, head lolling forward as the voice booms over him; frightened, distressed. His body leans heavily against the other, their voice quieting as they pull one of Qrow's arms around broad shoulders. His legs struggle to keep up with the hurried pace of his companion, the Huntsman groaning aloud as the hand at his side clenches tighter around the branch. He presses his head against the wide jaw of his savior, a familiar scent of cologne and sweat pulling a murmured gasp from him:

_"Tai..."_

_"I'm here,"_ the voice soothes him instantly, tears swelling at the corners of his eyes. _"I'm here, Qrow. It's...it's gonna be okay. **I'm here."**_

A door opens and closes behind them, their feet scuffling across the floor. Sleep threatens to drag him under, eyelids fluttering as the pain numbs him to his core. It ignites a sense of dread within him. A screaming cry that begs to be obeyed. It taunts him. Whispers seductive words of _ease_ and _blissful abandon_ when agreeing to hold hands with _Death._

Thankfully, the hands are moving him; shifting him to lay down - a cry gasping from between his lips. He groans loudly, hands moving away from the wound arms folding across his eyes. He breathes heavily, hearing the sounds of tools clinking together and the hurried, hushed mumbles of the man at his side.  
He feels the hand assess the wound, pressing against it tentatively and pulling away the moment Qrow's leg jerks. The lankier of the two drops his arms away, rolling tired, heavy eyes over to the blonde man. His hands hang in the air awkwardly, Tai meeting his gaze and taking hold of them.

The blonde man inhales deeply, giving the hands an extra squeeze. He clenches his jaw and whispers softly, _"Hang on for me."_

Qrow smirks, taking his hands back with a small nod. He lays an arm across his eyes, the other shifting behind him and burying a hand into the pillow; fingers twisting at the fabric. He inhales slowly, deeply, just as his companion's hands settle on the branch at his side. He feels the sudden jump of panic. He steels himself. _Tries_ to prepare for what he **knows** is coming, but-- _the pain swallows him whole._

A scream rips itself from his lungs, back arching in a feeble attempt to stop the uproar of agony at his side. Blood spills fresh from the wound, his heels digging themselves into the bed. A sob wracks his body, blood rising at the back of his throat.  
The branch pulls from his body, air rushing into the exposed wound, and an immediate hand presses against it; Qrow's body writhing beneath it.

"Qrow, I--"

 **"No."**

His voice is thick with pain; chest heaving, _hungry_ for air. Sweat layers his forehead, along his neck, between his shoulders-- _he knows how dire the situation is._ He recognizes the way every blink shifts him closer and closer to unconsciousness. He knows that once he passes out, it'll be a game of suffering for his counterpart. It'll feel like a _lifetime_ before he determines whether or not he's lost someone else he loves. But even still...

 _"No._ We...we agreed... _no hospitals."_

"But Qrow, I--"

 _"Please,"_ the word comes at the cusp of a sob, the man trembling violently at the pain that lit each and every one of his nerves _on fire._ "Please, Tai..."

There's a pause. A loud, weighted sigh. 

"... _Alright,_ but...don't die on me, Qrow."

A small, weak laugh is the man's only response before a burst of pain explodes within him. His screams carry him away, rip him from the plane of existence he inhabited, and thrusts him into a state of unconsciousness. A state of silence and _quiet._ Away from the pain. Away from his Semblance. Away from the weight of the world that he carries on broken shoulders.  
It isn't long before the space grows uncomfortable. Before the man is reminded of _them._

Heavy eyelids flutter open, sun beaming immediately into them. He grunts aloud, lifting a trembling hand to block out the powerful rays. He coughs softly, rolling his head to the side with a sigh.  
He feels a hand fall onto his own, a thumb caressing the knuckles gently. 

_"You're awake..."_ The words are little more than a gasp, crimson orbs lifting to meet blue. 

"...Yeah. Of course."

The blonde man scoffs, lips trembling into a tired smile as a hand lifts to rub at his eyes. He shakes his head, steeling himself. Focusing back on the pale individual laying in front of him. The very same individual that he saved. _Again._ Only, this time, the man had truly believed he killed him.  
Qrow refused to set foot near a hospital. Didn't so much as _glance_ at one. The fear surrounding his Semblance convinced him that going to such places, even when he was _dying,_ would only end in tragedy. It was a fear he acquired many, many years ago and one that Tai had always tried to respect. But...

"What were you _**thinking?"**_

The words bite powerfully, the man rubbing at his eyes once again as the anger spills forward. He shifts closer to Qrow, their eyes never leaving one another as he squeezes his hand. 

"Qrow, I-- I thought I _lost you._ You've been out for _three days_ and you didn't so much as _stir_ the entire time, I just...what-- what were you thinking? Really? Were you-- fighting a Grimm _drunk?_ Look, I _get_ that you're all broody and have an image to uphold, but--"

_"I wanted to come home."_

Tai blinks slowly, looking at the softened features on the man's face.

Qrow gives the man's hand a squeeze. He swallows hard, sighing deeply as heat rises to his cheeks. His companion's opposite hand falls to meet one of them, a thumb smoothing across his cheekbone affectionately. 

He shifts uncomfortably beneath the touch, eyes falling away as he breathes, "I just...I was tryin' to come home and--"

The words are swallowed by the lips of the other, the blonde man keeping his touch soft. _Comforting._ He recognizes the man's insecurities. His anxieties and fears. His concerns and _desires._ And he meets them all with a single kiss; silencing them. Replacing them with the gentle touch that Qrow has _always_ craved.

Pulling away from the kiss slowly, Tai presses his forehead against his lover's. They remain like that; quietly existing in one another's space. Relishing in the safety that is their very existence.

_"...I'm glad you're home."_

The words are soft and sincere, gently caressing the man's heart. Keeping it safe and held close to _home._

"Yeah... _me too."_

And he would continue to come home. Continue to live and _survive._

**_For them._ **


End file.
